Aliens stranded on earth are placed under their own apartheid in Johannesburg while a shifty corporation try to unwrap their technology. Trouble kicks off when an employee gets an alien infection and begins metamorphosis.
As an allegory on the injustice of apartheid, which this film obviously is at one level, District 9 is not very effective. The point is made so bluntly it can be registered and disregarded again long before any actual thought is required. It is much better as piece of sci-fi since key questions about the aliens, why are they here, why can't they leave etc are never answered.
It is at it's most effective when presented as an historical documentary using CCTV and archive news footage to build the story. Unfortunately it keeps dropping out of this whenever it needs to show things that would otherwise remain unseen.
In classic blockbuster style the last half hour is largely blowing things up with alien tech but this is fun to watch after an hour and a half being shown all this technology innert. The end, as with the film asks more questions than it answers and leaves the door open for a district 10 sequel. I for one would be happy to see it.
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